The vice dean for research and graduate education at Marshall University received a $2.39 million grant from the National Institute of Health to study the gastrointestinal absorption of amino acids, according to a Thursday news release. Dr. Uma Sundaram's work, which will span the course of five years, will specifically look at the effects of amino acid absorption on inflammatory bowel disease, commonly referred to as IBD.
"This project will tackle a very significant health issue in West Virginia," Sundaram said in the release. "Our work will focus on immune-based nutritional treatment for IBD. It will also have a potential application for preventing the growth of colon cancers, which are more malignant and common in IBD, a condition that impacts our state and Appalachia."
Colorectal cancer, which usually begins with non-cancerous polyps lining a person's colon or rectum, is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer is West Virginia. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin declared March Colorectal Cancer Awareness month to bring attention to the issue.